Hunter signs to play pro volleyball in Europe

Hendersonville High and Georgia Tech graduate Bailey Hunter jump serves the ball for Tech during a match earlier this season.

DANNY KARNIK/GEORGIA TECH ATHLETICS

By Brittany JacksonTimes-News Staff Writer

Published: Friday, December 28, 2012 at 8:57 p.m.

Last Modified: Friday, December 28, 2012 at 8:57 p.m.

Memories of Bailey Hunter's first time on the volleyball court flooded her mother's mind after Hunter made it public news Friday morning that she will be playing the sport she loves so much professionally in Europe starting Jan. 2.

"My mom asked me the other day, ‘Bailey, did you ever think that when you were 7 years old trying out for Biltmore Volleyball Club with your kneepads falling down your legs that you would ever be playing professional volleyball?'" Hunter said. "She just sent me out there with a ham sandwich and told me to go play volleyball; I didn't know what I was doing."

The 2007 Hendersonville High graduate just became Georgia Tech graduate earlier this month after finishing up her fifth season of volleyball with the Yellow Jackets. And after 16 years of playing volleyball the 23-year-old outside hitter is more than thankful that she doesn't have to stop playing.

Hunter connected with Bring It Sports Promotions agency over the summer as the Yellow Jackets toured and played in several European countries. She signed on with the agency once Tech's 2012 season came to a close, and has since received several offers to play professional volleyball overseas.

She made her decision just days ago to return to Europe to play for Doprastav Bratislava, the primary professional team in the capital of Slovakia.

"I always wanted to play in the Olympics, until I realized that I'm not 6-4 and can't jump 10 feet in the air. Then when that vision shifted somewhat I knew I wanted to play professionally," Hunter said. "It's unfortunate that America doesn't have professional volleyball, but at the same time it's such an opportunity for me to play somewhere else, to grow and learn more about myself."

The professional season in Europe runs from August to May each year, so Hunter will be joining the team midway through the tour and stay until May before returning home to evaluate how the season went and to see if she will receive other offers to play the following season. She will play in countries like Austria, Hungary, Croatia and Slovenia.

"A lot of girls play as their job to make a lot of money, but volleyball has never been my job; it's my passion. I just want to continue playing and that's my mindset," she said.

Hunter told the agency that she would be willing to play anywhere, but when she received several offers to play after just hoping to get one, she was able to assess her options and narrowed it down to Europe and Puerto Rico.

"In Puerto Rico you can get fired at the drop of a hat; it's a very vulnerable situation there, whereas in Egypt, when you sign a contract you're there for that length of time," Hunter said. "I've always loved Europe; my family has traveled there a lot. I had my heart set on going to Europe whereas my teammate at Georgia Tech, Monique (Mead), is headed to Puerto Rico. I actually know about the area I'm going to because we went to Croatia, Slovenia and Italy this summer with the team."

Life will change in a big way for Hunter in less than a week, from living in a country where she has only vacationed, meeting and playing with an entire new group of players where her name is the only American name on the roster, to climbing up a level once more in the world of volleyball from collegiate to professional.

But for her, the signs have been coming ever since she received the offer to play in Slovakia. Signs that will take her there with a clear and assured mind and heart.

"It's ironic because I'll be playing in some of the same gyms that I did this past summer, so that was another thing that was sort of a sign that this was where I was supposed to be," Hunter said. "When I was looking at the roster I saw that the only number that isn't taken is No. 11. That's always been my number."

"I've never a day in my life felt like I wanted to stop playing. It's so hard to compete at that level for so long, and a lot of college athletes are drained and ready to be done playing once they graduate, but I really think I'm one of those weird people in the world that just can't let it go," she said. "I'll probably play until I'm in a wheelchair and can't walk anymore and people are having to drag me off the court."

Hunter said that if she is able to, she would like to play for a couple of seasons overseas while the opportunity is in front of her, before returning to the U.S. and seeking out collegiate coaching positions and, one day, starting a family.

"I do want to have a family, but I knew that if I didn't take this opportunity now, when I'm a mom I won't have these stories to tell," Hunter said.

"The next level really is people's jobs and their livelihood, and I realized that the deeper I got into this agency. I adopted a completely different mindset because, yes I'll get to play the sport I love but at the same time it is a job. I'm excited about that. Everything has been organized for me throughout my whole life, which has been a blessing, but this will allow me to get out there and take a risk."

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